I will be holding my 10th annual Senior Expo on Friday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Central Bucks Senior Center, located at 700 Shady Retreat Road in Doylestown. There is no cost to attend.

The Senior Expo will include exhibitors, lunch and musical entertainment. Attendees are encouraged to bring old, unused or expired medications for proper disposal. If you are interested in attending, please call my district office at 215-489-2126 to register.

Golden Anniversary Tea Scheduled

Later this year, I will be hosting a Golden Anniversary Tea to honor couples living in the 143rd District who have been married for 50 years or longer.

If you, or a couple you know who reside in the 143rd Legislative District, are interested in participating in this special recognition, please call my district office at 215-489-2126 to register. You will be asked to provide the names of the anniversary couple, address, phone number and date of marriage. A personal invitation will be sent via mail.

The Tax Amnesty Program waived all penalties and half of the interest for eligible individuals or businesses that applied to the program and paid delinquent state taxes between April 21 and June 19, 2017.

This program is not a forgiveness of debt but a reduction in fines to encourage payment. Anyone who took advantage of this program will not be eligible to do so again should Pennsylvania enact a subsequent amnesty program.

Considering the amount collected, I believe the Legislature should seriously consider offering more Tax Amnesty Programs in the future. These programs are a proven way of recovering delinquent tax dollars that might otherwise go uncollected.

House Returns to Session this Weekend

The House returns session this weekend as we continue to work with the Senate, House Democrats and the governor to reach a compromise on the state’s revenue package that is part of the overall 2017-18 budget.

At the end of the June, the General Assembly passed the spending portion of the budget and it has since become law. In passing the spending part of the budget, we essentially capped spending, so revenue negations would not increase expenditures this fiscal year.

We took major strides forward when we passed a budget that includes measures to streamline government to ensure it works best for the people and drives down costs. It would be very unproductive to increase taxes while, at the same time, working to rein in costs.

Some Pennsylvania women can receive free cervical cancer screenings and mammograms under the Pennsylvania HealthyWoman Program. Are you one of them?

The program is open to women ages 40-64, who are Pennsylvania residents and have a gross household income below 250 percent of the federal poverty annual guideline, or about $61,500 for a family of four.

If breast or cervical cancer is detected through the HealthyWoman Program, the individual may be eligible for free treatment through the Department of Human Services' Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program.

On Thursday, I was privileged to participate in the Central Bucks Family YMCA’s annual Share the Impact event at the Aldie Mansion. The event celebrated the Y’s volunteers and donors throughout the year. Dick Patterson was honored with the 2017 Lois Burpee Award for his work and commitment to the Y’s mission, with specific emphasis on his passion that “the Y serves all people.” He was also presented state House and Senate citations.

The Bucks County Board of Commissioners has announced the following household hazardous waste collection events, which are free for county residents. Both events are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.

Saturday, July 22, at Central Bucks High School South, located at 1100 Folly Road in Warrington.